Cheat Day!

I had originally intended to post this over a week ago, but was having some issues with my ISP at the time.  Now that they have saw fit to restore my service, I now submit it for your entertainment:

Eating healthy and getting exercise are great things.  You feel great after you do them.  But sometimes, the world doesn't know how great you're feeling, and it decides to dump on you anyway.  Stress and frustration come at you from every angle.

So when you're going through these times, it's okay to have a weak moment.  You go to the fridge and you get out the things you've really been craving for the last few days, and you have a go at them.

Everybody should have a cheat day.  One day every once in a while where they have some of their comfort or feel good foods.  It's fine to have a day where you don't think about calories or getting out to the gym.  Don't punish yourself afterwards.  Guilt-free is the theme of the day.

Of course, having a few pre-determined rules about these days should come first.  Rules like:

• Cheat days should only last ONE day
• Having no more than "X" number of cheat days in the month (I choose 3 for myself)
• Having some moderation on the cheat day.  You aren't going to feel good after eating that whole tub of ice cream.
• Getting right back on track after the cheat day is over.
• One additional rule to think about is the holidays.  Do you really need that many cheat days between Thanksgiving and Christmas?

You can use your cheat days to taper off your weak moments as well.  Something that really helps is not bringing a lot of your cheat day home with you (i.e. leftover chinese in the fridge).  Another good idea to think about is pre-planning your cheat day.  Think about where you really want to go, what you really want to eat, and take care of as much of those things ahead of time.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and finish my cheat day.  I've had some pita chips with hummus, a couple slices of pizza, and I've still got an ice-cold beer to enjoy!